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*April 12, 2024
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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We had a shorter week at the Capitol due to the Eid Recess on Wednesday, but the days were long!? We didn?t adjourn last night until midnight as we worked to pass House omnibus bills on Labor and Education and get them over to the Senate.? Keep reading for more on what is being passed.

We have a full week next week and then a short week the following week for the Passover Recess. In past sessions, all of these holidays have coincided and we have had just one longer recess. These three shorter breaks for Easter, Eid and Passover have disrupted the usual post-committee deadline rhythm, but we are still going to get all of the work done.

As a reminder, our last day of session is Monday, May 20th, so everything has to be wrapped up in a few short weeks. We are entering the phase of long floor debates as we work on omnibus bills and Conference Committees between the House and Senate start meeting.

I hope you all enjoy this beautiful weekend!? I am excited to get my deck furniture out and host a Baby Shower for dear family friends!? Spring is in the air!







Executive Summary

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Partisan Elections Omnibus Bill

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Bipartisan Public Safety Solutions

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Police training

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Bill to Stop Expansion of Light Rail

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LCCMR Input Needed






Partisan Elections Bill

This past Tuesday we passed the Elections Omnibus Bill off of the House Floor. This bill was a grave disappointment as it violated a long-standing tradition of bipartisan elections bills in the Legislature.? Historically, Governors insisted they would only sign election bills with broad bipartisan support to ensure that neither party could claim an advantage.

Since the DFL took full control of state government in 2022, election bills have passed only on party-line votes. Governor Walz should follow tradition and only sign bills that have bipartisan support.

This year?s House Omnibus election bill has several concerning provisions, including:


* *Allowing voters to register to vote without providing an actual address.* Instead, they will be able to simply describe their residence when an address, such as a shelter, is not available.? This is a stunning effort to weaken our voter registration system, which already allows voting without ID and allows same-day registration by only providing a utility bill as proof of an address. *Now you don?t even need an actual address ? just a description of where you live.? It is unbelievable!*
* *Allows additional pop-up temporary polling places on college campuses* instead of requiring students to go to the precinct polling place where they reside. While this sounds good at first, *it could create significant problems as polling is done by precinct and a college campus may span multiple political subdivisions that do not reflect the students? precinct ballot for city, school board, judicial district, etc.* ??It was not explained how students who vote at pop-up locations would actually be given the correct ballot for their residence, which is how voting is supposed to work.
* *Allows for reallocation of incarcerated persons based on their last known address for purposes of redistricting. *Rather than counting people in prison where they actually live in the community where the prison is, they would be counted in the census at their last known address.? This will likely be litigated and is designed to shift electoral power from rural areas (where prisons are often located) to metro areas (often the last known address of incarcerated persons).? This is likely the first step in allowing felons to vote in prison, which is already permitted in DC and VT.? It will also adversely affect rural communities that provide a service to the state by housing inmates and often receive federal funding based on census data.

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This bill will have far-reaching effects and will negatively impact the integrity of our elections.? *Instead of eliminating the requirement that a voter show proof of residence at a physical address, we should have adopted provisional voting for those who register on the day of an election.*? Provisional voting allows those who register on election day or without proof of citizenship or residence to vote but, rather than counting those ballots immediately, they are set aside as ?provisional? and are counted after they have been verified as legal.??

*Minnesota and Idaho are the only two states that do not have some form of provisional balloting.*? We should join the other 48 states who have adopted this approach across the political spectrum.?

During the debates, several of my House Republican colleagues proposed amendments aimed at enhancing the security of our elections, including improving the chain of custody for absentee ballots.? Unfortunately, all of these common-sense guardrails were rejected, and the bill passed along party lines.

*Minnesotans are proud of our high rate of voter turnout and clean election system. *?I know many people who serve as election judges who attest to the integrity of our elections, and I have seen it up close as I have witnessed a few hand recounts over the years.? *I will continue to work to protect and strengthen our elections and oppose efforts that pose potential risks.*






Bipartisan Public Safety Solutions

In contrast to the highly partisan elections bill, we passed the Omnibus Public Safety bill with strong bipartisan support this week.? *This legislation is an excellent example of what we can achieve when we work together to prioritize the well-being and safety of our citizens.*

The bill, which I supported, focuses on strengthening community policing, enhancing emergency response services, and increasing funding for public safety programs that have shown effectiveness. ?These balanced initiatives are crucial for maintaining the safety and security of our communities.

This legislative success was possible because Committee leaders from both parties were able to engage in constructive dialogue and find places of agreement. We CAN work together to develop policies that improve the lives of the people we serve.






Police Training

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*I was fortunate to participate in a workshop on use of force training at the North Metro Range in Maple Grove last Friday!* We were able to see first-hand the different types of training our federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies go through to maintain their qualifications to serve our communities.



We were able to see the de-escalation virtual training modules, the gun range, the tactical training facilities and observe tasers being deployed. The level of training and proficiency officers who serve our community receive is amazing and they work hard to keep up their training standards throughout the year.? It was clear that civilian legislators are NOT up to the job!? Our Members who are currently serving in the military or who have had previous law enforcement experience did quite well, however!

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Bill to Stop Expansion of Light Rail

As I mentioned in last week?s newsletter, I offered an amendment to the House Transportation bill to stop any new spending on new light rail projects until the Southwest Light Rail is operational. ?During the floor debate, the DFL lead on the bill said he supported the idea and would have voted for it if it was a bill, not an amendment.

I immediately asked our staff to ?jacket? my amendment as a bill, which was formally introduced this week as HF 5341 [ [link removed] ]. This bill will ensure that no additional taxpayer money is wasted on the Blue Line Extension or other fixed light rail projects until the SW Light Rail boondoggle is up and running and we can better assess the region?s transportation needs.

We cannot adequately maintain and safely staff the existing Green & Blue lines and SW Light Rail is not even open.? We should not add any additional lines to the system until we understand the impact of SW Light Rail on the region.

In addition, we should be actively evaluating lower-cost, more flexible alternatives such as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). BRT will not destroy communities along its route, is far less costly to develop and maintain, and can be easily adapted to changing commuter patterns.

*I?m pleased to report that the DFL colleague who said he would support the amendment if it was a bill has signed on as a co-author.? I will continue to try to get language in the omnibus bill THIS YEAR to stop any additional wasteful spending on new light rail projects.* Our communities need reliable, efficient, and cost-effective transportation and I look forward to working with my colleagues on this.?






LCCMR Input Needed

I'm excited to share an opportunity for you to help shape the future of Minnesota's environmental and natural resource policies! *The Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) is currently seeking public input to guide their strategic planning for the allocation of funds from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF). *Over the next six years, it is projected that $80-90 million per year will be available for projects that enhance our environmental resources and outdoor recreation spaces.

You can fill out a survey to help guide the LCCMR?s recommendations to the Legislature about how these funds should be used.? Participating in this process is easy and takes less than five minutes.

If you are interested, please complete the survey [ [link removed] ]?and help set the priorities that will impact our community and our state.

*For those interested in a more in-depth discussion, the LCCMR will be hosting listening sessions on the following dates:*


* April 26: St. Paul
* May 3: Brainerd/Baxter and Detroit Lakes
* May 4: St. Cloud

These sessions are a great opportunity to learn more about the LCCMR's work, ask questions, and provide your feedback directly to the members of the commission. Additional details can be found on the LCCMR?s strategic planning website [ [link removed] ].






Photos

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Fantastic breakfast in support of West Suburban Fire District in Loretto, MN this week!

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Here's an update on the $730,000,000 "big dig" for the new State Office Building!

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Had a great meeting with high school Pages this week!






Please Contact Me

Many of you have already been in touch to discuss your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you. Thank you for sharing your ideas! Please continue to contact me to discuss any matters to which I can be of assistance.

The best way to reach me is by email:[email protected]. For occasional updates, you can follow my Facebook Page at @RepKristinRobbins. You can also leave a voicemail on my office number, 651-296-7806, which is checked every weekday while we are in session.

Of course, if you are coming to the Capitol, I?d love to meet you! Please reach out if you would like to set-up an in-person meeting.?

Have a great weekend!

?

Kristin











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239 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.7806







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